Tanka ~ Don Baird

a knock at the door
what should I say
that hasn't been said
amidst the morning sun
a meadowlark beckons

a wild cat
scrambles into the dark
where my heart beats
to cherished songs
of lost love

somewhere
in the dirt of war
children play
above the bodies
of their friends

a misty halo
surrounds this evening moon
smiling
I listen
to the last cicada

ashes swirl
in the midst of Autumn leaves
my father
touches me . . .
touches me

Don Baird is a kung fu teacher, poet and musician, with a keen sense of being on a journey of self discovery. He writes, "I teach to hand down what I've learned; I write to express my heart and soul; I play music to drink wine by." His work in haiku recently placed third in the 9th Kusamakura International Haiku Competition, Oct. 31, 2004 (foreign language division).

Copyright 2005: Simply Haiku